Firecracker Films are currently working on the second series of 'The Customer Is Always Right', and urging pet entrepreneurs to audition to appear on the show. A number of companies from the pet industry, including Henry Wag and Pet Rebellion, featured in the first series.

The hit BBC television programme celebrates small businesses, entrepreneurs, and people that are proud and passionate about their products.

From start-ups and prototypes, to products that are already on the market, the production company is looking for entrepreneurs and product designers from all over the UK to showcase their work to a larger market and crucial customer testing. The submitted product should be for the consumer market and for general public use and will ideally be tangible and testable.

 “The Customer Is Always Right is an exciting series that follows budding entrepreneurs from across the UK as they try to make a success of their inventions. They are making everything from pet accessories to health and beauty products, home and garden tools, to children’s gadgets,” said a spokesperson for Firecracker Films.

Each episode of The Customer Is Always Right will feature three entrepreneurs, with audiences hearing about the inspiration behind their creation and the sacrifices they had to make in getting their dream item funded and brought to market.

Crucially, their new products will be tested on the people who are most important – the customers. There will be a cast of returning customers, all with different points of view, who are ready to road test the entrepreneur’s products and unleash their honest thoughts on everything from the design to the practical use to the selling price. They’ll unbox and deliver their assessments before scoring each product. And because the customer is always right, they will pick the winner.”

If you are interested and would like to find out more information about this opportunity, then email the Firecracker Production team directly products@firecrackerfilms.com  or contact Danny Robertson on 0141 611 9619.

Pictured above: Grantley Rogers (far right), of PetQuip Award winners Henry Wag, appeared on the first series of The Customer Is Always Right.

An advertising watchdog has ruled that Ancol Pet Products made misleading environmental claims about its dog waste bags on its website.

The Advertising Standards Authority received a complaint about the pet company’s statement on its website that its waste bags were ‘biodegradable to lessen your dog's impact on the environment’.

The complainant, who believed that the bags were made of a material that was not capable of biodegradation, challenged whether the claim could be substantiated.

In response Ancol Pet Products Ltd said the bags were produced using a controlled-life plastic technology, which was added during the manufacturing stage of production of their bags.

The company stated that the material used converted everyday plastic products into materials that were biodegradable in the open environment. It added the bags were oxo-biodegradable because they contained an additive which catalysed the degradation process in the presence of oxygen, so that plastic broke down much quicker than ordinary plastics.

Ancolsaid this process meant that the product was converted to organic material, which was then bio-assimilated by bacteria. The timescale for complete biodegradation, therefore, was much shorter than conventional plastics.

The manufacturers of the bags (Symphony Environmental Ltd) and the trade association for the biodegradable plastics industry (the Oxo-Biodegradable Plastics Association) provided a range of material, including scientific studies and opinions, which they believed substantiated the claim that the product was biodegradable.

However, in upholding the complaint against Ancol, the ASA stated:

“The ASA considered that consumers would expect that in order to dispose of their dog waste bags responsibly ‒ as called for expressly and by implication (with pictures of litter bins) in the advertiser’s own packaging ‒ they should use bins provided specifically for the purpose of dog waste disposal in open spaces, such as parks, or other general waste bins.

“In that context, we considered consumers would understand from the claim ‘These thick waste bags are biodegradable to lessen your dog’s impact on the environment’ that by swapping conventional plastic dog waste bags for the advertised product and disposing of fouled bags responsibly, they would be reducing their impact on the environment.

“Because consumers would understand that the ability of the bag to biodegrade meant that by disposing of fouled bags responsibly they would be reducing their impact on the environment, and because the bag was not biodegradable under the conditions which a responsibly disposed-of bag would find itself, we concluded that the claim ‘These thick waste bags are biodegradable to lessen your dog’s impact on the environment’ was misleading.”

The ASA has ruled that the ad must not appear again in its current form and told Ancol Pet Products Ltd to ensure that future advertising did not mislead by making environmental claims, such as “biodegradable” unless they held adequate evidence to substantiate those claims for the likely conditions of use of the bags.

The full ruling can be found by clicking here

PATS Sandown is the place for pet retailers to see a host of new and international exhibitors as well as the industry’s big-name brands, all of which will be showcasing their 2020 launches over two action-packed days on February 9-10 next year.

It will be the second time the event has taken place on a Sunday and Monday in February following a highly successful move to the earlier date in 2019, and visitors will be greeted by more than 150 brands at the Sandown Park event in Surrey.

Organiser Annie Foord said: “It’s great to see so many companies exhibiting at PATS Sandown for the first time. Together with our valued regular exhibitors, they are sure to make the two-day show one to remember.”

Exhibitors new to PATS Sandown include: Albion Country Bowl, Aquadip, Berts Bows, COCO JOJO & DOOG, Dobbyman, Earth Animal Ventures, Furmagic, Goodchaps, Hot Dog Pet Products, Mackle Pet Foods, N Smith, Rocketo, Ruff and Tumble, Scrumbles and We.pet.

PATS Sandown in February is the best place for pet retailers and garden centres to see the whole pet industry and all the latest products under one roof.

A full list of the exhibitors can be found at www.patshow.co.uk where visitors can register for free entry to the show.

As the excitement builds, a selection of PATS Sandown newcomers share their thoughts on the UK’s leading Spring pet industry exhibition:

Albion Country Bowl (stand B5): “After several successful shows at Telford, Albion has decided to add the Sandown event to its shows for 2020. This will be a chance to showcase a new range of meat products and treats that are to be launched. We feel that PATS is the best place to showcase products both new and old for UK-based and overseas visitors alike. We look forward to making this event a regular thing in our show calendar.” Kevin Dover.

Aquadip (stand A3a):  "We offer a wide range of products from live and frozen fish food to aquatic plants and water treatments. Recently we have introduced an option to start ‘Your Own Brand’ aquatic, pond and koi fish food. We think PATS is the perfect place for us to introduce our high quality products to like-minded people in the pet and aquatics industry.” Joey Abrahams.

COCO JOJO & DOOG (stand K4): “We are delighted to be exhibiting at PATS Sandown for the first time. Our pet business has grown rapidly over the past three years and we are now in a very strong position to offer great prices and new product to the trade. We had an amazing PATS Telford show and met loads of new customers. We hope to see them again at PATS Sandown and offer our very popular show discount.” Ian Green

Fur Magic  (stand F7): “We wanted to exhibit at PATS Sandown because it is the best place to showcase our products and reach out to international retailers and UK buyers.” Ghazwan Halbouny.

Rocketo (stand E15): “PATS is a great platform for innovative companies to be introduced to customers looking only for the best for their furry friends. We are extremely exited to show our new products.” Arunas Matacius.

We.pet (stand G2): It’s not often a new wholesaler launches into the UK pet food market but that’s exactly what’s going to be happening at PATS Sandown with the launch of We.pet Independent Pet Wholesale. We.pet are delighted to have the chance to launch at PATS Sandown where we will get fantastic exposure to thousands of potential customers from the independent channel all under one roof – our precise target market.” Daniel Vander

Visitors to the show will be able to see an unrivalled array of new-launch products, watch demonstrations from the country’s leading dog groomers and listen to talks from prominent industry figures.

For the latest information on the show visit www.patshow.co.uk

Opening times

Sunday 9th February 2020: 9.30am-5.00pm

Monday 10th February 2020: 9.30am-4.00pm

It’s not often a new wholesaler launches into the UK pet food market but that’s exactly what’s going to be happening at PATS Sandown with the launch of We.pet Independent Pet Wholesale.

The company's Dan Vander said: "We.pet are fiercely loyal to the independent pet channel in the UK and will sell only to David not Goliath.  We will never supply internet-only retailers such as Amazon, Ebay or Zooplus nor will you find any of our products in any of the national supermarkets.

"We.pet believe in better value through quality with unique and wholesome products.  Our partners will have the choice of a unique range of high-quality premium dog, cat and wild bird brands that we are distributing exclusively via the Independent Channel in the UK.  Three-quarters of the brands already have established track-records of UK retail sales although the Independent Channel have never had wholesale access to them before.

"We.pet will be a dependable ally to the independent channel of the UK pet trade and PATS Sandown will see the UK wholesale debut of two new food brands as well as the worldwide debut of a completely new cat food brand to support our strategy of providing our partners with highly palatable and desirable, market-leading products that are only available via this channel."

You can find out more abouth We.pet on stand G2 in Surrey Hall at PATS Sandown 2020, and for more information contact Dan or Robert on 01342 710420.

Danish Design has launched its new pet bed collection in partnership with FatFace, a range of stunning pet beds that not only look great and are comfy but have a positive impact on the natural environment, people and local communities.

Made fully in the UK, the whole collection is filled with 100% recycled fibre, made from plastic bottles.

Rob Newsome, Director of Sales & Operations for Danish Design, said: "Where possible the collection is made from 100% cotton and sustainably sourced through The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) which helps farmers to grow cotton in a way that reduces stress on the local environment and improves the welfare of farming communities."

Burgess Pet Care, in conjunction with the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund, has launched the Burgess Excel Vet Awards to recognise and reward the hard work of veterinary professionals who work tirelessly to improve the lives of domestic rabbits in the UK.

The Awards are free to enter and open to practicing veterinary professionals in the UK, who are able to demonstrate the exceptional levels of care and professional advice they provide to rabbits and their owners.

The Awards have three categories:

• Rabbit Vet of the Year, open to all practising UK veterinary surgeons,
• Rabbit Nurse of the Year, open to all practising veterinary nurses in the UK; and
• Rabbit Veterinary Practice of the Year, open to all practices on the RWAF rabbit friendly list.

Peter Lancaster, Marketing Manager at Burgess Pet Care, said: “The Burges Excel Vet Awards will shine a spotlight on a sector of the veterinary community that is going above and beyond to help improve the lives of one of the UK’s most misunderstood animals.

“These Awards are part of Burgess Pet Care and the RWAF’s joint commitment to improving standards of rabbit welfare across the UK. This is a key goal for both of our organisations and a natural evolution of the fantastic work that has already been achieved with Rabbit Awareness Week and the rabbit CPD that’s delivered to vets across the UK.      

Rae Todd, Director at RWAF said: “We’re delighted to support these Awards and to be able to recognise the rabbit friendly vet practices who treat rabbits as equal to cats or dogs. Working with veterinary professionals to help advance their knowledge of rabbit care and medicine is an essential part of improving the quality of life of pet rabbits.”

Award nominations will open in March 2020 and can be made via the nomination form on the website or by completing a nomination form and returning it via post. Self-nominations can also be made.

The judging panel will feature selection of industry experts, veterinary professionals and rabbit specialists, which will be revealed at a later date.

The winners of each category will be announced at the London Vet Show 2020 and will each receive a cash prize of £500.

To register your interest in the Burges Excel Awards, to be the first to hear when nominations open, and to be kept up to date with the latest rabbit CPD, visit www.burgesspetcare.com/excel-vet-awards

Naturediet has donated over 250 meals for dogs whose owners will be attending a Christmas Centre run by homeless-persons charity Crisis.

The centre is one of nine across the capital where guests can make the most of a range of advice, support, health and wellbeing services, as well as giving them the opportunity to relax, regain confidence and plan for the future in a supportive environment.

The charity also offers advice and support in areas such as health, housing, employment and benefits throughout the year.

“We are all too aware of the isolating time that Christmas can be for those less fortunate than ourselves,” says Emily Cannon, Head of Sales and Marketing at Naturediet.

“Naturediet make an effort all year round to work with charities in need of support and food donations, however at Christmas this is even more prevalent.

“In an effort to help assist Crisis with the amazing work they do to make Christmas easier for those in need, we wanted to provide meals for the faithful canine companions whose owners may have found themselves in difficult circumstances.”

For more information on how to get involved, or to donate, visit: https://www.crisis.org.uk/get-involved/donate/

Founder of natural pet food brand Lily’s Kitchen and pet owner Henrietta Morrison has launched her second cookbook, Tasty Treats for Happy Dogs, in time for Christmas baking.

Featuring 50 nourishing and easy-to-make treat recipes, from everyday wholesome snacks for cold days to celebration recipes, including birthday cake and Christmas cookies, this lovely book has something for every occasion.

Inspired by Lily, Henrietta’s border terrier who fell ill at the age of three and refused to eat, she began cooking meals for her with fresh, natural ingredients. After ten days she made a full recovery and Henrietta realised there was an urgent need for dogs to eat proper food that helps them live happy and healthy.

Like Henrietta's last bestselling pet cookbook, each recipe is accompanied by nutritional advice and tips, with special treats and snacks for young puppies and senior dogs. The perfect gift for any pet owner, this charming book will set tails wagging and inspire many lingering looks of love.

Comments Henrietta: “I’ve been wanting to write another cookbook for dogs for some time, especially after seeing the amazing reaction to my first book Dinner for Dogs which was the first of its kind back in 2012.

“This time I wanted to focus on treats, with inspiring and easy recipes for those who are just as passionate as me about feeding wholesome, proper food to our dogs.

“I’m delighted with the book and hope dog lovers everywhere will take great joy from creating these delicious recipes for their four-legged family and seeing the happiness – including waggy tails – it brings them.”

‘Tasty Treats for Happy Dogs’ by Henrietta Morrison will be available in hardcover from 5th December 2019 for £12.99. Independent pet shops can order the book at sales@lilyskitchen.co.uk and +44 (0) 20 7433 6972,  and it is available for pre-order on amazon.co.uk.

Manchester-based pet bed specialist Scruffs has announced the return of its annual social media mass giveaway event in December.

This year's giveaway is centralised around a ‘12 Days of Christmas’ theme, in which the company will offer 12 pet beds and accessories on each day between Saturday 30th November and Wednesday 11th December 2019.

Scruffs has also partnered with Manchester Dogs Home for this year's event, along with leading pet food manufacturers Arden Grange and Lintbells, to offer hamper prizes on two of the promotional days.

A spokesperson said: "This year, we've made some slight tweaks to allow as many pet lovers to enter as possible. It's the year-round support from our community of followers which allows us to run this event every December, so we invite everyone to join in with the festive fun once again this year. We'll see you there!"

The Scruffs Christmas promotion has become an annual tradition, since its debut in 2014. In this time, Scruffs has given away over £4,000 worth of pet beds and accessories to owners around the globe.

In 2015, Scruffs notably donated a Grizzly Bear Bed to Border Collie Rescue UK as part of its Christmas event. In 2017, the company ran a 10-day giveaway event which amassed to £1,000 worth of prizes during the festive period.

Each year, the prize offering and duration changes slightly, and this year also marks the first time the brand has opened the event up to other companies.

To get involved with the giveaway this year,  visit the Pets Love Scruffs Facebook page for entry instructions.

Despite the uncertainty of Brexit, applications for a graduate scheme for vets have been at record levels this year, especially from Europe. The 2020 IVC Evidensia Graduate Academy is now open for applicatiuons...

Ask any graduate what is most important after the final essays have been written, the final exams have been passed and they are ready to take their first tentative steps into the Veterinary World, most will reply ‘support’.

What kind of support is most important is personal to each graduate, but it is likely to fall into one of these categories:

• Professional
• Mental Wellbeing
• Financial
• Peer

(And not necessarily in that order!)

Since 2014, IVC Evidensia has been there to support its graduates with its industry leading Graduate Academy.

Offering bespoke CPD, a £5000 Graduate Academy Payment (GAP) in the first two years, personal and clinical mentors, events with peers and a very competitive pay structure, it’s no surprise that the IVC Evidensia Graduate Academy has gone from 15 graduates in its first year to over 220 in the 2019 intake. And with a brand new, 100% Farm Graduate Academy new for 2019, they have even more to offer.

The world is truly the graduate’s oyster. Well, the UK and Europe at least! IVC Evidensia have over 1250 practices and there are graduate opportunities across the UK and Europe.

Once the graduate programme has been completed, the support doesn’t stop there. Continued encouragement to develop skills and specialist interests is par for the course with a structured career path from graduate to Senior Clinician, Referral Surgeon, Clinical Directorship and beyond.

IVC Evidensia’s Group Veterinary Advisor, Donald Kingsnorth said, “The future of the veterinary professions rests on the shoulders of these graduates and I’m very proud to be part of the team that can offer such fantastic support to help relieve some of that pressure for them.

“The Graduate Academy helps to equip new vets with the skills they need to be confident, successful, caring members of the veterinary community.”

For more information, drop Donald a line at dkingsnorth@independentvetcare.co.uk. To apply online for the 2020 intake, visit the IVC website.

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The Pets at Home store in Holyhead, which was opened four years ago with the creation of 14 jobs, has closed its doors for the final time.

Staff at the store on Penrhos Retail Park posted the following statement on Facebook: “We would like to thank each and everyone for all your kind words and messages. This is our farewell. Many thanks from us all at Pets at Home Holyhead.”

A Pets at Home spokeswoman said: "We always review the performance and prospects of our stores when leases come up for renewal. It is always a difficult decision to close a store but sometimes it is the right thing to do.”

Calls for an end to the sale of rawhide products for pets have been sounded, due to concerns about the health risks they pose.

Ardmore Vets in Cornard Road, Sudbury, is supporting a campaign by professional dog walker and pet sitter Lisa Tipper to raise awareness about the problems of rawhide dog chews, in the lead up to Christmas.

Rawhide is an inner layer of animal skin commonly used to make chewable dog treats, which are widely sold by retailers in the UK.

To read the full Suffolk Free Press story click here

The Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association has added a new poster to its range of educational resources for pet care professionals.

The ‘Handling Commercial Raw Pet Food Safely’ poster gives a step by step guide on best practice hygiene and handling steps for owners feeding a commercial raw pet food.

The overarching message is to treat raw pet food with the same high hygiene standards as raw meat.

Greg Van Praagh of Benyfit Natural and PFMA Vice Chairman advises: “PFMA represents 11 commercial raw pet food manufacturers. We are proactive in working together to develop education resources and promote best practice within the sector. We hope this will be a useful addition to the education on feeding raw pet food safely.”

The highly visual poster is perfect for displaying in retail stores, vet practices and at home. It is available to download in sizes up to A3:

https://www.pfma.org.uk/handling-commercial-raw-pet-food-safely-poster

For more information on PFMA’s raw pet food manufactures visit: https://www.pfma.org.uk/raw-feeding-factsheet

Men are far less likely than women to help a pet injured in a hit-and-run accident it seems.  A survey commissioned by Yorkshire-based pet insurance provider The Insurance Emporium revealed that a 25% of men would not bother to stop to help an injured dog, whereas only 16% of women admitted this.  

The chance of someone stopping to help an injured cat was more unlikely than for a dog, especially where men were concerned.  31% of men admitted they would not stop at all for an injured cat even if it was safe to do so.  Women claimed they were more compassionate, with only around 18% admitting they would not help if they saw a cat injured in a road accident.

It seems that pet owners are considerably softer when it comes to helping injured cats and dogs compared to the general population.  Around 80% of cat and dog owners said they would stop and get medical help whereas only around half of non-pet owners said the same.

53% of people in the survey admitted they had no idea what their responsibilities were when it came to informing the authorities or getting medical help for injured cats and dogs.  Ironically, more men (61%) claimed they knew their responsibilities in this situation compared to women (50%) – even if the men were statistically far less likely to actually stop and help the animal in the first place.              

Perhaps unsurprisingly, people were a bit less likely to take any action at all if the animal was already dead, whether it was a cat or dog.  However 53% of women in the survey still said that they would check a dog’s animal’s collar for identification so the owners could be informed, whereas only around 29% of men said this.  

The Insurance Emporium’s Chief Executive Officer, Francis Martin, said: “As pet insurance providers, we know all too well that unfortunately road accidents with pets can and do happen.  A person who runs over a dog is obliged to report it as quickly as possible to the police, whether the animal is injured or dead.  Whilst injuring or killing a cat does not carry the same legal responsibilities, stopping if it is safe to do so, getting medical help and informing the police are the right things to do.”

Advice given by The Metropolitan Police on their official website states that: 

“If you hit a dog, horse, cow, pig, goat, sheep or donkey (or a mule) then you must report that to us, whether the animal is killed or not…. If you come across animals loose on the road and there’s a danger to traffic, call 999. ”

Pet brand Trespaws, the dog accessory arm of international sportswear company Trespass, hopes to see its impressive growth continue with the help of dog influencers.

The Glasgow–based brand was launched two years ago when founder Marihah Khushi decided to combine her passion for animals and the outdoors and create a superior dog accessory range.

The products have become an instant hit and the company decided to share news of its success with more than 100 dog influencers, and their owners, at a special party in Glasgow.

The event was held at Glasgow’s unique courtyard venue Barras Art and Design and included a ‘dogwalk’ fashion show, dog assault course, dog themed canapes and mocktails, a pop-up shop and goody bags for all the VIP guests.

Marihah said “Trespaws has come such a long way in the two years since we launched and we were very excited to be hosting our first dog influencer party in our hometown of Glasgow. As far as we are aware, this dog influencer party was the first event of this type in the UK and it certainly was a party to remember.”

Success has allowed the brand to expand the range to include a wider selection, and Trespaws will be hoping that dog influencers share details of future new products with their social media fans.

For further information on Trespaws visit: www.trespass.com/trespaws

A Matlock pet shop owner says he was close to losing his business after severe flooding.

Adam Robb, 51, who owns Peak Paws and Claws near the River Derwent, said he was walking his dog on Friday morning when he noticed the floods and rushed to his shop.

Mr Robb started the business, which sells pet amenities such as food and accessories, more than four years ago.

To read the full Derby Telegraph story click here

Two award-winning brands have teamed up to create a social media marketing campaign with the objective of growing consumer awareness of their brands and products.

Burgess Pet Care and Henry Wag, both winners at the recent PetQuip Awards, launched the competition on their Facebook pages, giving followers the opportunity to win £100 worth of prizes.

The representatives of the two brands shared a table at the annual PetQuip dinner collecting three awards between them. 

The goodie bundle on offer includes the gold award-winning Henry Wag Noodle Glove Towel (as seen on TV), two sacks of Burgess Sensitive Turkey & Rice, a Henry Wag food storage box and a selection of other Henry Wag items, perfect for cleaning and drying dogs through the wet autumn and winter seasons.

The non-competing brands who appeal to the same target market have combed resources to reach each others audience with the objective of extending their brand appeal to a larger customer base.

The competition went live yesterday (13th November) on the Burgess Pet Care and Henry Wag Facebook pages and will run for one week until the 20th November.  Click here to view

An act of vandalism at a Lancashire pet store has result in the death of Fischer lovebird.

Now there are fears that its mating pair will die from separation following the attack which saw the window of Nelson Pet Shop smashed in.

A male allegedly booted in the window as he walked past the store at 4 Market Square at 3am on Tuesday (November 12).

The force has resulted in the glass shattering and has left her innocent pets in a state of shock.

Owner, Emma Foster, told LancsLive on Wednesday: "What I can see on the CCTV, a young male, possibly around his 20s with work boots on, has spun around and booted the window down with force.”

To read the full story click here

Award-winning Supa Ltd has launched two new carriers ideal for transporting pets in an easy and stress-free way.

The Pet Carriers come in two sizes – Medium and Large – to cater for different sizes of animals, and are constructed out of cardboard, making them both lightweight and sturdy.

A built-in carry handle is incorporated into the design to provide a comfortable and secure way of carrying pets. They are also designed to provide occupants with plenty of ventilation.

Both sizes of carriers come flat-packed to save space and can be stored flat when not in use, plus they’re easy to assemble without the need for tools. There is also a space provided for the pet’s name and the owner’s contact details.

The internal dimensions for the Medium Pet Carrier are 20cm (H) x 20cm (D) x 33cm (W) compared to the Large Pet Carrier of 25.5cm (H) x 25cm (D) x 38.1cm (W). RRP are £2.75 (Medium) and £3.49 (Large).

Chris Goodlad, Managing Director of Supa Ltd, said: “We believe these new pet carriers are a great addition to the market, and would soon become popular in retail outlets.”

Supa Ltd is renowned for producing innovative products, having picked up New Product Awards at PATS trade shows in recent years.

As well as being one of the best-known names in fish keeping circles, the company’s portfolio also includes an extensive range of wild bird feeders, treats and accessories and a fast expanding range of small animal and cage bird products.

Supa has developed from humble beginnings in 1949 to a multi-million pound turnover business by a simple philosophy of listening carefully to its customers, developing products with flair and innovation and providing quality products that always offer real value for money. 

The company is proud of the fact that the majority of the products it produces are manufactured at its extensive factory in Sheffield from the finest quality raw materials. This fact has enabled Supa to rigorously maintain the highest standards of quality.

For more information visit www.supa-aquatics.co.uk or email sales@supa-aquatics.co.uk